Although we weren’t in the path for July 27th’s remarkable eclipse, it got us thinking about the moon… That and the suggestion from High Five magazine to track the moon over a few days of its cycle.

We began about ten days out from the full moon, noting it as thumbnail-sized and high in the sky in the mid-afternoon. It grew for a few days before we lost it to a string of cloudy days – oh no!

Luckily the clouds parted by the time we had a three-quarter moon, and then a gorgeous full moon rise on July 26/27.

Each day, have your child tell you what they’ve observed, and then draw a picture or words to accompany it (older kids can, of course, draw the moon themselves!). This is a great way to show kids how the moon changes in a cycle. Travis loved spotting craters, too, and noticing how much brighter the moon is by night than by day.

Moon rise can be late (8.20 pm for the full one in our area!) but it’s one of those perfect summer excises to stay up late. Why not make a night of it? Go out for ice cream (thanks Ben&Jerry’s non-dairy!), have story time right in the ice cream parlor, and watch the moon rise before heading home to bed.

The next full moon will be August 26, giving you one more chance before summer’s out (hint hint!).